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Immune checkpoint blockade in triple negative breast cancer influenced by B cells through myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

ABSTRACT: Triple negative breast cancer holds a dismal clinical outcome and as such, patients routinely undergo aggressive, highly toxic treatment regimens. Clinical trials for TNBC employing immune checkpoint blockade in combination with chemotherapy show modest prognostic benefit, but the percentage of patients that respond to treatment is low, and patients often succumb to relapsed disease. Here, we show that a combination immunotherapy platform utilizing low dose chemotherapy (FEC) combined with oncolytic virotherapy (oHSV-1) increases tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, in otherwise immune-bare tumors, allowing 60% of mice to achieve durable tumor regression when treated with immune checkpoint blockade. Whole-tumor RNA sequencing of mice treated with FEC + oHSV-1 shows an upregulation of B cell receptor signaling pathways and depletion of B cells prior to the start of treatment in mice results in complete loss of therapeutic efficacy and expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Additionally, RNA sequencing data shows that FEC + oHSV-1 suppresses genes associated with myeloid-derived suppressor cells, a key population of cells that drive immune escape and mediate therapeutic resistance. These findings highlight the importance of tumor-infiltrating B cells as drivers of antitumor immunity and their potential role in the regulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

SUBMITTER: Vito A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8275624 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:OBJECTIVE:Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) contribute to tumour immunosuppressive microenvironment and immune-checkpoint blockade resistance. Emerging evidence highlights the pivotal functions of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) in tumour immunity. Here we elucidated the role of tumour-intrinsic CDK20, or cell cycle-related kinase (CCRK) on immunosuppression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). DESIGN:Immunosuppression of MDSCs derived from patients with HCC and relationship with CCRK were determined by flow cytometry, expression analyses and co-culture systems. Mechanistic studies were also conducted in liver-specific CCRK-inducible transgenic (TG) mice and Hepa1-6 orthotopic HCC models using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Ccrk depletion and liver-targeted nanoparticles for interleukin (IL) 6 trapping. Tumorigenicity and immunophenotype were assessed on single or combined antiprogrammed death-1-ligand 1 (PD-L1) therapy. RESULTS:Tumour-infiltrating CD11b+CD33+HLA-DR- MDSCs from patients with HCC potently inhibited autologous CD8+T cell proliferation. Concordant overexpression of CCRK and MDSC markers (CD11b/CD33) positively correlated with poorer survival rates. Hepatocellular CCRK stimulated immunosuppressive CD11b+CD33+HLA-DR- MDSC expansion from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells through upregulating IL-6. Mechanistically, CCRK activated nuclear factor-?B (NF-?B) via enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and facilitated NF-?B-EZH2 co-binding to IL-6 promoter. Hepatic CCRK induction in TG mice activated the EZH2/NF-?B/IL-6 cascade, leading to accumulation of polymorphonuclear (PMN) MDSCs with potent T cell suppressive activity. In contrast, inhibiting tumorous Ccrk or hepatic IL-6 increased interferon ?+tumour necrosis factor-?+CD8+ T cell infiltration and impaired tumorigenicity, which was rescued by restoring PMN-MDSCs. Notably, tumorous Ccrk depletion upregulated PD-L1 expression and increased intratumorous CD8+ T cells, thus enhancing PD-L1 blockade efficacy to eradicate HCC. CONCLUSION:Our results delineate an immunosuppressive mechanism of the hepatoma-intrinsic CCRK signalling and highlight an overexpressed kinase target whose inhibition might empower HCC immunotherapy.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a uniquely aggressive cancer with high rates of relapse due to resistance to chemotherapy. TNBC expresses higher levels of programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) compared to other breast cancers, providing the rationale for the recently approved immunotherapy with anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). A huge effort is dedicated to identify actionable biomarkers allowing for combination therapies with immune-checkpoint blockade. Platelet-derived growth factor receptor ? (PDGFR?) is highly expressed in invasive TNBC, both on tumor cells and tumor microenvironment. We recently proved that tumor growth and lung metastases are impaired in mouse models of human TNBC by a high efficacious PDGFR? aptamer. Hence, we aimed at investigating the effectiveness of a novel combination treatment with the PDGFR? aptamer and anti-PD-L1 mAbs in TNBC. METHODS:The targeting ability of the anti-human PDGFR? aptamer toward the murine receptor was verified by streptavidin-biotin assays and confocal microscopy, and its inhibitory function by transwell migration assays. The anti-proliferative effects of the PDGFR? aptamer/anti-PD-L1 mAbs combination was assessed in human MDA-MB-231 and murine 4?T1 TNBC cells, both grown as monolayer or co-cultured with lymphocytes. Tumor cell lysis and cytokines secretion by lymphocytes were analyzed by LDH quantification and ELISA, respectively. Orthotopic 4?T1 xenografts in syngeneic mice were used for dissecting the effect of aptamer/mAb combination on tumor growth, metastasis and lymphocytes infiltration. Ex vivo analyses through immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR and immunoblotting were performed. RESULTS:We show that the PDGFR? aptamer potentiates the anti-proliferative activity of anti-PD-L1 mAbs on both human and murine TNBC cells, according to its human/mouse cross-reactivity. Further, by binding to activated human and mouse lymphocytes, the aptamer enhances the anti-PD-L1 mAb-induced cytotoxicity of lymphocytes against tumor cells. Importantly, the aptamer heightens the antibody efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth and lung metastases in mice. It acts on both tumor cells, inhibiting Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways, and immune populations, increasing intratumoral CD8?+?T cells and reducing FOXP3?+?Treg cells. CONCLUSION:Co-treatment of PDGFR? aptamer with anti-PD-L1 mAbs is a viable strategy, thus providing for the first time an evidence of the efficacy of PDGFR?/PD-L1 co-targeting combination therapy in TNBC.

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Immune checkpoint blockade in triple negative breast cancer influenced by B cells through myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

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